‘Twas the day after Christmas and all through the house, people were going on about heading off to the sales. They will be, trust us. But do you actually need to venture out? And how can you be sure you’re getting the best possible deal?
Allow us to guide you through some of the sneakier tricks that’ll help you get the most out of one of the year’s best weeks for shopping. From comparison to haggling to security, here’s how to win at the boxing Day sales…
Compare in a flash
There are a million ways to compare prices now on your phone. The best and simplest require you to do a barcode scan. Google Shopper or Google Goggles work great at this and are both free. The latter doesn’t even need a barcode – simply take a picture of a DVD, game or book while you’re in a shop and it’ll bring up the online deals that best it.
Amazon now offers a similar app – Price Check by Amazon – which uses barcode scanning to find you a better deal and then lets you buy with very few clicks, assuming you’re an Amazon member. Just don’t let the shop you’re in catch on to your scanning habits.
Soak up the unwanteds
You may not have gotten exactly what you were after, but others may have been gifted a little too much. You’d be surprised how quickly people will get their unwanted presents up online.
Check eBay and Gumtree from Boxing Day onwards and you’ll notice an increasing load of tech filter on there in ‘brand new’ condition. If you’re lucky, you’ll manage to nab a real bargain as each seller keeps the price down to ensure quick sales.
Source deals
MoneySavingExpert has a regularly updated list of UK high street and online sales and offers, including info on expected deal ending times, what percentages are being shaved off and delivery costs.
Keep an eye on it over Christmas to make sure you know exactly where to direct your wallet on Boxing Day morning.
Haggle
If all else fails and you find yourself having to buy from a real, physical store, you can still play ball to get yourself a deal. John Lewis is famous for never knowingly being beaten on price, but there are others. Try showing the staff an online deal and get them to make a counter offer.
This works both ways. Acer, for example, claims that no store can beat them on price. Speak to them with the item and model number from the store you have seen the product at, the price of the item (including delivery) and the shop’s name and contact details, and they’ll undercut it.
Is this the future of online shopping?
Don’t get stung
If you think you’ve found an amazing deal online that seems too good to be true, it probably will be. If you’re unsure, the best way to shop online is by using SmartSwipe (£70). The USB-card scanner stores all your detail for you and enters them into the required online fields with one swipe.
Not only does it save you time and effort, but it also heavily encrypts your data, which should keep you slightly safer from online shopping scoundrels.
